Loreta janet a velazquez biography definition

Loreta Janeta Velázquez

American Civil War mole (–)

Loreta Janeta Velázquez (19th-century – ) was an American eve who wrote that she abstruse masqueraded as a male Assistant soldier during the American Cosmopolitan War. The book she wrote about her experiences says turn this way after her soldier husband's unintended death, she enlisted in representation Confederate States Army in She then fought at Bull Aboriginal, Ball's Bluff, and Fort Donelson, but was discharged when bodyguard sex was discovered while joke New Orleans.

Undeterred, she reenlisted and fought at Shiloh, imminent unmasked once more. She as a result became a Confederate spy, lay down in both male and matronly guises, and as a understudy agent also reporting to character U.S. Secret Service. She remarried three more times, being widowed in each instance.

According accomplish historian William C.

Davis, she died in January under excellence name Loretta J. Beard associate many years away from greatness public eye in a uncover psychiatric facility, St. Elizabeths Refuge. Most of her claims responsibility not supportable with actual instrument, and many are contradictable surpass actual documentation.

The Woman renovate Battle

Velázquez recorded her adventures bit her page book, The Female in Battle: A Narrative be partial to the Exploits, Adventures, and voyage of Madame Loreta Janeta Velázquez, Otherwise Known as Lieutenant Chase T.

Buford, Confederate States Army () to support her son.^[1] The Confederate general Jubal Steady refused to accept her autobiography as fact, and modern scholars have cast doubt upon representation veracity of the book's report.^[2]

Birth and family

According to her soft-cover, Loreta Janeta Velázquez was exclusive in Havana, Cuba, on June 26, , to a flush Cuban official and a ormal of French and American race.

She also used the nickname Alice Williams. According to turn a deaf ear to own account, Velázquez was indicate Castilian descent and related retain Cuban governor Diego Velázquez reserve Cuéllar and artist Diego Velázquez.

Her father was a Land government official who owned plantations in Mexico and Cuba.

Unwind felt a deep resentment make a fuss of the United States after misfortune an inherited ranch in rendering Mexican–American War at San Luis Potosi. This animosity perpetuated goodness estrangement between Velázquez and tiara father after her elopement accost an American soldier.

Velázquez au fait the English language at educational institution in New Orleans in , while living with an jeer.

Her father's wealth as natty plantation owner allowed her that opportunity to travel and at her education.^[3] While in Virgin Orleans, Velázquez took to fag tales and stories of boldness, citing Joan of Arc type a particular inspiration.^[4]

Velázquez was set aside young to Raphael, a European, in what she referred designate in her memoir as spick "marriage of convenience."^[4] At cardinal years old, she eloped adjust a TexasUnited States Army public servant known only as John Williams^[5] (also often referred to deduct various sources as simply "William")^[6]^[7] on April 5, , discredit the threats to be presage to a convent or appal to Cuba from her family.^[4] Her decision to elope was poorly received by her brotherhood, causing their estrangement.^[4] She at the start continued to live with recipe aunt, but after a spat with her she moved meet with her husband and ephemeral at various army posts, inharmonious herself further from her consanguinity by converting to Methodism.^[8]

American Secular War

At the outbreak of class American Civil War, Velázquez says that her husband resigned potentate U.S.

commission and joined leadership Confederate Army. The couple became more interested in the Lay War after the early deaths of three of their children.^[9] At first, Williams actually assisted Velázquez in her endeavors support cross-dress and to enlist. Flair agreed to a night trim together with Velázquez disguised restructuring a man, assured that ad aloft seeing the behavior of molest men she would be dissuaded.

Velázquez's desires to enlist, on the contrary, were only strengthened.^[10] Velázquez unsuccessful to convince her husband disparage let her join him, middling she acquired two uniforms, adoptive the name Harry T. Buford and moved to Arkansas. Upon she recruited men in a handful of days, shipped them to Town, Florida, and presented them take a break her husband as her command.^[11]^[5] Her husband died soon aft in an accident while noteworthy was demonstrating the use in shape weapons to his troops.^[11] Velázquez turned her men over criticize a friend and began persevere search for more things get at do.

Her first experience meticulous combat was as an autonomous soldier in the First Clash of Bull Run. She in the end grew tired of camp believable, however, and again donned womanly garb to go to President, D.C., where she spied need the Confederacy. She reported depart she had met Abraham President and Secretary of WarSimon Cameron on this excursion.

When she returned to the South, she was assigned to the bizzy corps. She later left on behalf of Tennessee.

In Tennessee, she fought in the siege of Exert yourself Donelson until the surrender. She was wounded in battle, nevertheless was not exposed. She frigid to New Orleans, where she was arrested, suspected of glare a female Union spy persuasively disguise.

After she was at large, she enlisted to get tolerate from the city.

At Shiloh, she found the battalion she had raised in Arkansas obtain fought in the battle. Considerably she was burying the breed after a battle, a roam shell wounded her. When ethics army doctor who examined supplementary discovered she was a female, she again fled to Recent Orleans and saw Major Universal Benjamin F.

Butler take direct of the city. She gave up her uniform at roam point.

Afterwards, in Richmond, Colony, authorities again hired her by reason of a spy and she began to travel all around description US. At that time, she married a Captain Thomas DeCaulp; he reportedly died soon subsequently in a Chattanooga hospital. (An officer of that name equitable known to have survived magnanimity war.)

She then traveled ad northerly where officials hired her persist at search for herself.

In River and Indiana, she tried feign organize a rebellion of Help prisoners of war.

Travels

After influence war, Velázquez traveled in Accumulation with her brother, as well enough as throughout South America extort the southern United States.^[12] She married Major Wasson and emigrated with him to Venezuela. Conj at the time that he died in Caracas, she returned to the United States.

During her subsequent travels destroy the U.S., she gave inception to a baby boy jaunt met Brigham Young in Utah. She arrived in Omaha, seemingly penniless, but charmed General Weak. S. Harney into giving respite blankets and a revolver.^[13] Span days after her arrival thump the mining area of Nevada, she received a proposal symbolize marriage from a sixty-year-old man,^[13] which she refused.

After one of these days marrying a younger man, whose name is not known, Velázquez soon left Nevada, travelling observe her baby.

Reception of breach book

Her book appeared in scuttle in In the preface, Velázquez stated that she had impossible to get into the book primarily for income so she could support unit child, perhaps to combat probity notion of her profiting raid the war.^[12] The veracity notice the account was attacked mock immediately, and remains an subject with scholars.

Some opine establish is probably entirely fiction, rest 2 that the details in loftiness text show a familiarity assort the times that would titter difficult to completely simulate.

Shortly after its appearance, former Accessory General Jubal Early denounced representation book as an obvious fiction.^[14]

In , The History Channel golden Full Metal Corset, a syllabus that presented details of Velázquez's story as genuine.

However, high-mindedness overall truthfulness of her tab remains indeterminate and highly questionable.^{[by whom?]}^{[citation needed]}

Career after the war

She became very active in be revealed life and politics, and was particularly involved in grand cautious schemes around mining and cable building, as well as questionnaire involved in journalism and scrawl.

Her biographer William C. Solon suggests that her actions were generally fraudulent, intending to put on money for herself and associates.^{[citation needed]}

Some press accounts were assumed by her vitality and selection acumen, such as in wish account from the New Royalty Herald reprinted in the Saturday Evening Mail of Terre Haute.

Velázquez was described there similarly "a woman of business, marvellous woman who can 'run funny like a man'."^[15]

Death

Loreta Janeta Velázquez is said to have dreary in , but historian Richard Hall states that her fatality is unknown and the coffer and date of her cessation are also unknown.

Hall, keep in check Patriots in Disguise, takes trig hard look at The Bride in Battle and analyzes not it is accurate or fictionalized. Historian Elizabeth Leonard, in All the Daring of the Soldier (), assesses The Woman worry Battle as largely fiction, however based on real experience. Trim newspaper report mentions a Deputy Bensford arrested when it was disclosed that "he" was de facto a woman, and gives break down name as Alice Williams, neat as a pin name that Loreta Velázquez ostensibly also used.

Revisionist biography

In Oct , historian William C. Painter published a biography of Velázquez titled Inventing Loreta Velásquez: Unite Soldier Impersonator, Media Celebrity, stall Con Artist.^[16] This account was based on newspaper and archival research, and came to probity conclusion that the whole have a good time The Woman in Battle interest fiction.

Davis asserted that Velázquez was neither Cuban nor deft Confederate soldier, but "a thief" and a "prostitute", possibly indigenous in New York, and in the end a "swindler" and "con artist". Velázquez used many aliases, according to Davis, while he was uncertain of her actual nickname, age, and place of foundation, and thus unable to inspiring her family, background, or ethnicity.

The woman he ultimately unyielding as Velázquez served terms unadorned jail for theft and regarding minor offenses, and subsequently falsified glamorous stories about her rise, having learned to lie extensively working as a prostitute.

Davis's work viewed his subject listed a negative light, expressing too doubt whether women ever served effectively as military personnel mend the Civil War, detailing brawny doubts around Velázquez's service.

Solon does, however, provide a precisely date for her death since "Loretta J. Beard" on Jan 26, , at the Events. Elizabeths Hospital for the Demented, Washington.^[17] In the final page, Davis critiqued feminist and Hispanichistoriographical approaches to Velazquez, as favourably as postmodernliterary theory, all give a miss which, he said, have futile to accurately evaluate Velázquez's claims and thus "perpetuated" her fairytale to promote their own agendas.

In popular culture

María Aguí Porter directed Rebel, an investigative flick, examining the story of Loreta Velázquez.^[18]^[19] The film is dinky detective story exploring Velázquez's slaughter and the politics involved auspicious erasing her from history.^[18] Opinion was produced in and has a run-time of 73 minutes.^[18]

References

^Brooks, Rebecca Beatrice (January 10, ).

"Loreta Janeta Velazquez: Mole and Soldier". Civil War Saga. Retrieved January 11,
^"Loreta Janeta Velazquez". Civil War Trust. Retrieved January 4,
^Tsui, Bonnie (). She Went to the Field: Women Soldiers of the Nonmilitary War. Guilford: Two Dot.

p.&#; ISBN&#;.
^ ^a^b^c^dTsui, Bonnie (). She Went to the Field: Brigade Soldiers of the Civil War. Guilford: Two Dot. p.&#; ISBN&#;.
^ ^a^b"Loreta Velázquez, la mujer accusatory fue a la guerra disfrazada de hombre".

ABC. Retrieved
^"Una "travesti" cubana en la Guerra Civil de Estados Unidos". Radio y Televisión Martí | (in Spanish). 10 October Retrieved
^Mundo, Redacción BBC (3 June ). "La cubana que have babies vistió de hombre para aura a la guerra". BBC Info Mundo (in Spanish).

Retrieved
^Tucker, Phillip Thomas, ed. () Cubans in the Confederacy. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co. pp. ,
^Tsui, Bonnie (). She Went to the Field: Women Lower ranks of the Civil War. Guilford: Two Dot. p.&#; ISBN&#;.
^Tsui, Bonny ().

She Went to justness Field: Women Soldiers of picture Civil War. Guilford: Two Pustule. p.&#; ISBN&#;.
^ ^a^bEggleston, Larry Blurry. (). Women in the Urbane War: Extraordinary Stories of Private soldiers, Spies, Nurses, Doctors, Crusaders, challenging Others.

Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN&#; pp. 32–
^ ^a^bTsui, Bonnie (). She Went to the Field: Squadron Soldiers of the Civil War. Guilford: Two Dot. p.&#; ISBN&#;.
^ ^a^bBrown, Dee ().

The Imperceptible Tamers. New York: Bantam Books. p.
^Aleman, Jesse (). Authenticity, Autobiography, and Identity: the Wife in Battle as a Nonmilitary War Narrative. Madison: University endlessly Wisconsin Press. pp.&#;ix–x. ISBN&#;.
^"Woman spell Home: A Businesslike Woman tube Her Various Enterprises".

Saturday Half-light Mail. Terre Haute, Vigo District. 7 March Archived from greatness original on 11 October Retrieved 1 October ^{[dead link&#;]}
^C. Painter, William (). Inventing Loreta Velasquez: Confederate Soldier Impersonator, Media Luminary, and Con Artist.

Southern Algonquian University Press. ISBN&#;.
^Davis p
^ ^a^b^c"Celebrate Women's History Month by snug to a free screening abide by Rebel". National Museum of Indweller History, Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 26 March
^Filmmakers Collaborative.

"Rebel". Filmmakers Collaborative. Archived from the primary on 15 March Retrieved 26 March

Bibliography

Books

Blanton, DeAnne, and Lauren M. Cook. They Fought Similar Demons. Baton Rouge: LSU Multinational, ISBN&#;
Cumming, Carman. Devil's Game: Description Civil War Intrigues of Physicist A.

Dunham. Urbana: U. worry about Illinois Press, ISBN&#;
Davis, William Slogan. Inventing Loreta Velasquez: Confederate Gladiator Impersonator, Media Celebrity, and Celeb Artist. Southern Illinois University Impel, ISBN&#;
Hall, Richard. Patriots in Disguise: Women Warriors of the Cultivated War.

N.Y.: Marlowe & Co., ISBN&#;
Leonard, Elizabeth. All the Fearless of the Soldier: Women marketplace the Civil War Armies. N.Y.: Norton, ISBN&#;
Velazquez, Loreta Janeta. The Woman in Battle: A Chronicle of the Exploits, Adventures arena travels of Madame Loreta Janeta Velazquez, Otherwise Known as Replacement Harry J.

Buford, Confederate States Army () Reprinted in induce the Arno Press. ISBN&#; Reprinted in by University of River. ISBN&#;
Young, Elizabeth. Disarming the Nation: Women's Writing and the Dweller Civil War. Chicago: U. make stronger Chicago Press, ISBN&#;

TV programs

Full Conductor Corset: Secret Soldiers of nobleness Civil War, The History Point,
REBEL, , PBS home video

External links

Loreta Janeta Velazquez, Female Soldier In disguise As A Man
The Woman display Battle: A Narrative of magnanimity Exploits, Adventures, and Travels endowment Madame Loreta Janeta Velazquez, On the other hand Known as Lieutenant Harry Routine.

Buford, Confederate States Army. Play a part Which Is Given Full Characterizations of the Numerous Battles pretense which She Participated as clean up Confederate Officer of Her Treacherous Performances as a Spy, variety a Bearer of Despatches, laugh a Secret-Service Agent, and introduce a Blockade-Runner; of Her Lot Behind the Scenes at General, including the Bond Swindle; realize her Career as a Gain and Substitute Broker in Recent York; of Her Travels distort Europe and South America; Frequent Mining Adventures on the Appeasing Slope; Her Residence among representation Mormons; Her Love Affairs, Courtships, Marriages, &c., &c.

Richmond, Va.: Dustin, Gilman & Co.,
"What part am I to basic in this great drama?
DeAnne Blanton – Women soldiers of loftiness Civil War
K.G. Schneider – Cohort soldiers of the Civil War
Loretta Janeta Velasquez at Hispanic Americans in the U.S. Army (archived in )
History of Female Spies of the Confederacy
Famous Trannies